How to Dress Well As an Overweight Man

Co-authored by Paul Julch, MA

Last Updated: June 7, 2022 References Approved

Regardless of your body type, stylish, flattering clothes can help you feel confident and comfortable. If you have a little more to love and aren’t sure how to dress, don’t worry! There are lots of options that can help you look and feel your best. For any wardrobe, proportion, fit, and comfort are key. Choose well-fitting clothes, flattering fabrics, and accessories that complement your body. Above all, wear what makes you feel good inside and out!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Wearing Clothes that Suit Your Shape

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Go for well-fitting clothes instead of baggy or tight cuts. Resist the urge to cover up with baggy clothes, which can look sloppy and throw off your body’s proportions. Clothes that are too tight are no better. The trick is to invest in clothes that fit you just right.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Paul Julch, MA
Personal Wardrobe Stylist
Expert Interview. 29 July 2020.}
- If you don’t know your sizes, ask an employee at a clothing store for recommendations. If you’re self-conscious, it may be more comfortable to shop at a men's store that specializes in big and tall sizes.
- Be sure to choose clothes that fit you right now. You may have to buy new items in the future if you lose or gain weight in the future, but well-fitting clothes can help you look your best in the present.
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Choose v-neck tops instead of round, crew neck collars. A v-neck collar helps elongate the face and neckline, so look for that collar shape when you’re shopping for t-shirts and sweaters. Crew neck collars, on the other hand, don’t draw the eyes down and can exaggerate a round face shape.
- Crisp, quality v-neck t-shirts are super versatile. You could wear a v-neck and linen slacks to a barbecue or pair one with a blazer for a business casual look.
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Look for button-ups with spread collars to complement broad features. The distance between a dress shirt’s collar points is called the spread. When you shop for button-ups, look for shirts with widely spread collar points to balance out a broader face and neck.^{[3]
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- Ideally, go for collar spreads wider than a right angle. Look where the collar points meet at the top button and form an angle. That angle should be greater than 90 degrees.
- Narrow collars look out of proportion with broad features. Next to a narrow collar, a broad face and neck look wider.
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Avoid wearing wide lapels or collars. Instead, opt for vertical lines to slim down your look, like skinnier lapels, collars, and ties.
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Stick with straight-legged, medium-rise pants with no pleats. Straight-legged pants can help balance out the proportions of your legs, waist, and stomach. Pants that are as wide at the bottom as at the thigh are especially great if you have a larger midsection but smaller legs. Boot-cut pants with a subtle flare at the ankle could also work, but you generally don’t want to go with full-on bell-bottoms (unless that’s your style!).
- Tapered jeans (such as skinny jeans) with wider thighs and thinner ankles can make your legs look disproportionately small and exaggerate your midsection.
- Pleats can add bulk, so choose pants with flat fronts.
- Additionally, go for longer hemlines, especially if you’re shorter. They can help elongate your body.^{[4]
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Make sure your shorts don’t go past your knees. If you wear shorts, they should fit snugly and fall right around knee level. If your shorts are too long and fall midway down your shins, your lower legs could look small and out of proportion. Your waistline, in turn, would look wider.^{[5]
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- When you have more to love, minding your proportions is key. If your legs look disproportionately small, the rest of your body will look larger.
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Wear 3-button blazers with wide lapels to add structure to your looks. Blazers are a great way to give your body shape and polish off a look. Look for jackets with squared shoulders and 3 buttons, which can help lengthen your body.^{[6]
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- Keep the middle button of the blazer buttoned. While you want to go with squared shoulders, keep in mind you should avoid shoulder pads. Padded shoulders can add extra bulk.
- Avoid jackets with thin lapels, which would look out of balance and make you look bigger.
Tip: When you’re sporting a blazer, wear a pocket square to draw attention away from your stomach and up to your chest.^{[7]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Choosing Flattering Fabrics and Colors

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Stick with light to medium weight fabrics to avoid adding extra bulk. Cargo pants, hoodies, and bulky sweaters made out of thick fabrics can make you look bigger. Cotton, linen, and other light, natural fabrics are good choices. If you sweat a lot, natural fabrics can also help cool you down and prevent sweat stains.
- While lighter fabrics are generally preferable, keep in mind you still want your clothes to give your body definition. Fabric that’s too light and clingy won’t drape well over your body.^{[8]
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Go for vertical stripes and steer clear of horizontal stripes. Even a faint pinstripe can create a nice vertical line and elongate your body. Vertical stripes can help slim your appearance, but remember that horizontal stripes can make you appear wider.
- As with any pattern or style, wear stripes in moderation, and don’t wear both striped tops and bottoms at the same time. For instance, you could wear pinstripe pants, a v-neck tee, and a solid blazer to a meet and greet at work. Or you could go to a lunch date wearing a striped button-up and solid slacks.
3
Wear darker tones, but don’t just wear black all of the time. Solid, darker tones are your best friend! Navy, gun metal, deep green, dark brown, and black are all slimming colors. Lighter colors, on the other hand, can exaggerate size.
- While darker tones are slimming, that doesn’t mean your wardrobe should be colorless and boring. Add interest to your outfits and go with darker shades of every color instead of just wearing all black all the time.^{[9]
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Choose neutral solids instead of busy patterns. In general, try to avoid patterns such as tight plaid, small checkers, and anything with prominent horizontal stripes. Shirts with bold, busy patterns can draw attention to your midsection and make you look larger.^{[10]
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Tip: If you do want to mix up your wardrobe with patterns, go with less busy motifs, such as dots, a large paisley, or big checkered squares. Larger and less busy motifs are more proportional than complicated patterns with small elements.
5
Use color combinations to emphasize your body’s proportions. Since the eye is drawn to lighter colors and darker colors tend to be more slimming, you can use color combinations to your advantage. For instance, if your legs are thinner than your midsection, lighter colored pants and a darker top can help balance your proportions.^{[11]
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- If you’re short and stout, you generally want to avoid bold color contrasts. Avoid, for instance, wearing a black top with light khaki pants. Sharp contrasts create a horizontal line at your midsection, which can exaggerate your belly and make you look shorter.
- While you want to keep color contrasts minimal if you’re stout, lighter shades on top can draw the eye upward and lengthen your body. For example, try wearing a medium to dark blue v-neck sweater and black pants.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Accessorizing Wisely

1
Try swapping your belt for suspenders. Wearing suspenders (also called braces) can take getting used to, but many men find them more comfortable and supportive than belts. Suspenders can also create a better silhouette, as belts can divide your body in half and put emphasis on your belly.^{[12]
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- Suspenders work particularly well with business casual and dressy attire, and they look great with a sharp blazer.
Tip: If you’re going for a less formal look and want to wear a belt, choose one that’s wide, which will complement your body better than a narrow belt.
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Choose large, simple watches and jewelry. If you like to wear watches, go with larger, more proportional designs. The same goes for tie clips, rings, bracelets, and any other jewelry you wear.^{[13]
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- As a rule of thumb, jewelry should always be in proportion with a person’s body. A giant watch on a thin wrist looks comical, but a hefty watch on a larger wrist looks balanced.
3
Go for wider ties and knots. Look for ties that are at least 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide at the thicker end. Since proportion is so important, wider ties complement a broad chest. Thin ties, on the other hand, can make your torso look larger in comparison.
- Similarly, thicker knots, such as a Windsor, can balance out a broad neck and face. Recall that a button-up with a widely spread collar is great for broader features. A spread collar also leaves plenty of room for a wide Windsor knot.
- Be sure that the tip of your tie reaches the upper line of your belt and doesn’t go any lower than the bottom of the buckle.
4
Carry your necessities in a briefcase or bag instead of your pockets. Keeping a large wallet, cell phone, and other objects in your pockets can add extra bulk. To avoid overstuffed pockets and take the focus off of your waistline, invest in a sharp briefcase or messenger bag.^{[14]
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- If you’re self-conscious about carrying a bag, don’t think of it as a “man purse!” A briefcase can send an in-charge, put-together message, and a stylish backpack or leather messenger bag is perfect for less formal looks.

Style Tips

Style Tips for Plus Sized Men

Expert Q&A
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Question

How do I choose clothes that fit right?

Paul Julch, MA
Personal Wardrobe Stylist & Speaker
Paul Julch is a Personal Wardrobe Stylist, Speaker, and the founder of Urbanite | Suburbanite, a wardrobe styling business in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 25 years in the fashion industry, Paul works with clients to make getting dressed easier, less time consuming, and more enjoyable. Paul has years of experience in retail visual merchandising - styling windows, displays, and floor sets for Banana Republic, Gap, and Express. He also has experience styling fashion photo shoots and corporate videos. Paul holds a BS Degree in Management from State University of New York at Binghamton, an MA in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University. He also studied Interior Design at the University of California, Berkeley.

Paul Julch, MA

Personal Wardrobe Stylist & Speaker

Expert Answer

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Try not to get caught in the trap of wearing clothes that are too big. Some people like to hide in clothes that are larger, but larger clothes, no matter what size you are, make you look bigger. That doesn't mean you should wear tight clothes—you want clothes that skim your body, are comfortable, and show your shape underneath.
Question

When wearing jeans, should I wear low waist or high-waisted jeans with a t-shirt?

Community Answer

I prefer high-waisted jeans. They seem to hold everything in better, but if the seams aren't soft, they can dig into you and that hurts like heck.
Question

Why do pants slip down from the waist?

Community Answer

Imagine putting pants on the bottom half of a basketball. It'll slide down! If you have a large belly, a similar effect occurs because you get narrower from the stomach down. Wearing suspenders is an easy solution. Wearing high-waisted pants is another solution.